With over 300 major events and 10 million visitors taking place each year, 2021 won’t be the same and instead of gathering to support Wales during the Six Nations Rugby, we will be watching from the comfort of our own homes.

The Six Nations has been with us since the 1800s and for those of you who don’t know its origin, the Six Nations first began way back in 1883 when England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales competed in the Six Nations Championship. The first two years were overwhelmed by England and Scotland before Wales went to the front of the leader board winning four titles between 1905 and 1909.

The Principality Stadium was founded several years later to host the 1999 World Cup Championships here in Cardiff and whilst a new home presence for Welsh rugby was set in motion; many environmental considerations needed to be addressed and this lead to further development being made.

Have you ever wondered how much electricity is consumed during a single event? You can tell just by taking a gander at the immense banks of floodlights and glimmering video screens that arenas use to power on a mechanical scale. There are the sound frameworks, the agreeable club seating, extravagance boxes, just as kitchens are needed for food preparation and even cooling and warmth for encased domed arenas. You can’t help but wonder, what amount of power does a stadium need and what changes could additionally be made to implement environmental change?

There has been a huge focus on renewable energy over the last 15 years, governmental, sociological, financial, and most significantly; how to lower power output by implementing the use of new energy-efficient technologies that contribute to lowering our carbon footprint.

Various questions raise awareness to the public consciousness when it comes to environmental sustainability, but the amount of energy being used heavily relies on individual factors. There is a combination of elements that help determine the energy usage of a single stadium and this can depend on whether there is sufficient LED lighting installed, the type of climate (sunshine or rain), the time of day, the amount of people attending and the demand on food and refreshments from hungry supporters.

The Principality Stadium comprises of 34 public bars, 16 food and beverage outlets and not forgetting to mention the 900-kitchen staff, and as you can imagine the organisers are doing all they can to keep energy usage to a minimum whilst ensuring everyone enjoys themselves at a live event.

The stadium currently recycles around 98% of its waste. Waste matter is composted and 100% of energy procured is from renewables. Additional design elements include infrared controls fitted within the urinals to prevents unnecessary flushing, meters to monitor energy and water consumption, new LED lighting and lighting controls, and alternative methods of water heating to permit boilers to be packed up in summer. These measures have seen savings of 60.8 tonnes of CO2 made up of reduced raw materials use, water, and energy use.

Currently, all their energy comes from renewable sources however they’re currently looking into putting solar PV on their roof working closely with the Low Carbon Research Institute on sourcing the technology and therefore the logistics of fitting the panels to supply all its energy and become entirely self-sufficient and “off the grid”.

But what can we do from home to lower our energy usage? And how many of us use our televisions to view a live event? When you purchase a new television it’s highly likely to come programmed with factory settings. These settings tend to be ignored from the beginning and surprisingly are not the most energy-efficient. After purchasing a new television, the first thing we would recommend is checking the settings. Most modern televisions come with an ambient light sensor that controls the brightness of your television’s picture. If your new television comes with this added feature; try your best to ensure it is switched on at all times.

The built-in light sensor works its magic by monitoring the brightness of your living room and automatically adjusts the screen making the brightness as light as it should be. Televisions consume more energy when they make your screen brighter and by taking full advantage of this simple light sensor: you will not only cut back on energy use, you will also save money too.

It’s also very important to not leave your television on in the background. If you are not using your television it’s always best to switch it off from the main plug socket. They are known for consuming further energy when switched onto standby.

Sometimes we think that we are using less energy, but the truth of the matter is; it’s costing us more to run. By cutting the energy supply directly from the source, you’re likely to consume less energy at home than you need to.

According to the Energy Savings Trust, a few years ago televisions accounted for up to 50% of energy consumption in domestic consumer electronics but thankfully to the slimmer and more environmentally efficient models that figure has now substantially lowered to 33%. Reassuringly, by purchasing an energy-efficient television you are much more likely to save money across the household.

A few useful tips to save energy with your television at home also include:

• Buy an LED television
• Set the background light to normal or by lowering it manually
• Turn it off when it’s not in use
• Adjust the contrast
• Turn on the sleeping mode function (if necessary)
• Unplug the TV from the socket (when not in use)
• Reading a book instead (If you need a break from technology)

We would like to take this opportunity to thank the Principality Stadium for helping support us through the fight against COVID-19 and for utilising their stadium; by turning it into a temporary hospital and supporting those who are affected. Our hearts go out to everyone affected and as a nation stay strong, work together and continually support those in need.

A huge thank you to everyone involved: NHS staff, key workers and caregivers. Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau “Old L and of My Fathers” (translated from Welsh to English) The title taken from the first few words of the Six Nations Welsh anthem that will forever give us hope and strength.